The Mason Spirit

Mocha-brown furniture, stacks of paperwork, and mementos from a career stretching a quarter-century, Steven Monfort’s office is not unlike any other home away from home for a senior government worker who has reached the occupational heights he has. Still, Monfort, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy ’93, has something that sets his workspace apart—herds of…

Continue Reading Steven Monfort: Embracing His Wild Side

Susan Shields, MFA ’03, may not tell you this, but she’s rather important. After all, she calls Mikhail Baryshnikov by his nickname, Misha, so that should give you an idea of her stature in the world of dance. Now a professor in Mason’s School of Dance, Shields was a well-known performer before setting her sights…

Continue Reading Susan Shields: Just Dance

*Ducking* Please continue to publish letters such as the one from Merton L. Bland (“More Grammar Goofs,” fall 2010). I am disappointed that a linguist would reject rules outright rather than embrace the delicate balance between usage and rules. But we can disagree about such things (and many other things)—that is the very purpose of education,…

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I spent eight years connected to the military: four in the Reserve Officer Training Corps in college and four on active duty as an Air Force officer. My first assignment as a new lieutenant was to get a master’s degree from Stanford University. The air force was building its computing capacity and had identified people…

Continue Reading Wingman, Leader, Warrior

In the mid-1970s, Mark McGettrick, BS Business Administration ’80, was living in Laurel, Maryland, when he was recruited to play basketball for Mason. At the time, the team was transitioning from Division II to Division I, and McGettrick, a 6′ 3″ guard with an “okay” game, as he modestly described his playing abilities back then,…

Continue Reading Mark McGettrick: Shooting and Scoring in Big Business

Prior to coming to Mason in 1997, anthropology professor David Haines worked for the federal government’s refugee resettlement program. A two-time Fulbright scholar, he has worked on and written about immigration issues for much of his career. In his most recent book, Safe Haven? A History of Refugees in America, Haines examines seven decades of…

Continue Reading The History of Refugees in America: A Conversation with Mason Professor David Haines

Editor’s note: Lorraine Brown, professor emerita of English and theater, passed away in February 2010. She taught thousands of students over the course of her 42-year career at Mason. I was getting near graduation and had reached something like the end of my tether—I didn’t think I would be able to write one more critical…

Continue Reading Professors We Love: Lorraine Brown

As I write this, I can see the beautiful snow in front of our house—no one has walked through the white blanket that covers everything. While I love its beauty, at some point I will need to walk through the snow, leaving behind a trail of footprints that others may follow. I liken that image…

Continue Reading Greetings, Mason Alumni

As more buildings go up, more accolades roll in. Kicking off Mason’s recent awards bonanza was the Art and Design building, which was given the 2010 Honor Award for Design Excellence by the Fairfax County Exceptional Design Awards Program. Completed in 2009, the state-of-the-art facility includes studio space, galleries, computer classrooms, faculty offices, and general…

Continue Reading Mason Buildings Honored

Mason sociologist Amy Best has explored the lives of American youth, first looking at the prom, then driving, and now their relationship to food and dining out.

Continue Reading Would You Like Fries with That?